The 83rd Venice Film Festival concludes Saturday with the presentation of jury awards, including the prestigious Golden Lion for best film. The festival's jury, led by Maggie Gyllenhaal, will decide the major prizes for film, direction, and acting from a slate of 21 competing entries.
Several films have emerged as potential frontrunners based on audience reception and critical buzz. The late addition "NAZA," a documentary featuring insights from Israeli military insiders regarding the war in Gaza and allegations of systemic civilian killings, received a record-breaking 25-minute standing ovation. This surpassed the 24-minute ovation for "The Voice of Hind Rajab" last year, a film about a young girl killed in Gaza that ultimately received the Silver Lion runner-up prize, while Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother" took the top award.
"NAZA" is the sole documentary in the competition and is co-directed by Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham, among the two female directors in this year's competition lineup. Kaouther Ben Hania, director of "The Voice of Hind Rajab," is a member of the current jury, which also includes composer Daniel Blumberg, filmmakers Xavier Giannoli, Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Johnnie To.
Other films garnered enthusiastic responses, including "Wild Horse Nine," a dark comedy directed by Martin McDonagh. The film, which stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, follows two CIA agents on a trip to Easter Island before the 1973 Chilean military coup. McDonagh's previous films, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "The Banshees of Inisherin," also premiered at Venice, leading to screenplay awards and an acting win for Colin Farrell, and subsequently earning multiple Oscar nominations.
"Bunker," a psychological thriller reuniting actors Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, also received extended applause. The film, written and directed by Florian Zeller, explores marital tensions when an architect is commissioned to build a luxury bunker. Despite the positive audience reaction, reviews for "Bunker" have been mixed, with some suggesting that ovations at Venice can sometimes reflect star power as much as cinematic merit.
Other notable contenders include "Primetime," a crime thriller that could see Robert Pattinson recognized for his role, and Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard," featuring performances from sisters Rooney and Kate Mara.
The international slate includes "Woman Unknown," a post-World War II domestic drama by Danish-Egyptian filmmaker May El Toukhy; Hirokazu Koreeda's manga adaptation "Look Back"; and "Possible Love," a poetic exploration of class and labor by South Korean director Lee Chang-dong. "Possible Love," Lee's first film in eight years since his acclaimed "Burning," has already garnered praise from critics at the festival.
The final decisions rest with the main competition jury, and past festivals have seen surprising outcomes, such as "Joker" winning the Golden Lion.